There's a lot of talk these days
about the Sabbath. Some Christian and Messianic groups promote it.
But most Christian churches reject the Sabbath, stating that it was done
away with under the terms of the New Covenant. And most Christians
don't have a clue about the real significance of the Sabbath. They
have been taught that Sunday replaced the Sabbath.

So, if you conduct a survey on the
sidewalk outside the church after the worship service and ask people why
they worship on Sunday, you will likely get some surprising
responses. Some may say, "I worship on Sunday because it is
the Sabbath." Another will say, "I worship on Sunday
because the Bible tells us to." Still another will say,
"I worship on Sunday because we have always gone to church on
Sunday." And one might reply, "I don't know. I
just do!"

While we may commend that last respondent
for his honesty, the first three answers, though they have an appearance
of truth, simply are not true! Sunday is not the Sabbath. The
Bible does not teach believers to assemble on Sunday for the purpose of
corporate worship. And followers of the Messiah have not always gone to
worship services on
Sunday, as is taught and believed.

Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about the Sabbath.
And let's find out how and when New Testament believers worshipped.
And even more importantly, let's study to ascertain Yahusha's (the real
Hebrew name of the Messiah, also known as "Jesus") teaching
and attitude toward the seventh-day Sabbath. This, it seems to me,
would be a good way to discover the true applicability of the Sabbath
rest for the followers of Messiah Yahusha.

The widespread teaching in Christian churches that Jesus came to do
away with the Law is a lynchpin in their doctrine that the Sabbath has
been replaced by Sunday. This theory is launched from the thought
that the resurrection occurred on
"Sunday morning" and signaled a change in the holy day. Supportive to this Christian thinking is the
teaching from most Christian pulpits and schools that Jesus
intentionally broke the Sabbath by "working" on the Sabbath in order to
show that is was fading away; soon to be replaced by Sunday. In addition to this, they say, the
Sabbath was only given to "the Jews" and "to Israel" anyway! The
Christians teach that the Sabbath was only intended to be a temporary
institution "for Israel only." The Church, in their view, has
different promises and a different day of worship.

What a thrilling pipe dream it must be for people who believe that a
holy "God" has decided to do away with his Law and not to hold anyone
accountable any more for transgressing his holy Law. By believing
this, they can continue in their secret sins or their blatant, public
sins without any concern for any possible impact their immoral behavior
has upon their "eternal destiny."

If Messiah did away with the Law, then it stands to reason that the
Sabbath has been retired, as well. But if Yahusha did NOT do away
with the Law, then the Sabbath could not have possibly been eliminated
or replaced either, because the Law teaches that the Sabbath is to be
observed "throughout your generations." Let's find out what
Yahusha's teaching is regarding the Law. Then we can proceed to
understand his attitude toward the Sabbath.

The New Testament book of Matthew stands as the first book in the canon
of Scripture detailing the life and teaching of Yahusha and his
followers. It contains numerous teaching discourses, the first of
which is popularly called the Sermon on the Mount. In this
teaching discourse, Yahusha sets the tone for his ministry by laying
out his understanding and interpretation of proper conduct for the
assembly of his followers. He makes an emphatic statement to his
disciples so that no mistake can be made about his interpretation of the
Law:

Do not think that I have come to
abolish the law (Hebrew, Torah) or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish these
things but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven
and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will
pass from the law until everything takes place. So anyone who
breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them
and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven (Matthew 5:17-19).

This pregnant statement of intent has been severely
maligned and distorted by theologians, pastors and teachers for way too
long. This saying is a clear and unmistakable endorsement of the
Law of the Old Testament Writings.

Without even going into the meaning
of the Greek words translated "abolish" and "fulfill", it is obvious
that Messiah is teaching that every last detail of the Law is still
valid throughout the time of man on the earth. He said that the
Law would remain until heaven and earth disappear. And if you are
reading this, neither heaven nor earth has disappeared yet, so that we
must conclude that the Law is still valid in all its detail. Even
the very least of the commandments is required to be followed by the
disciples of Messiah. In fact, in the judgment, what you do with
the commandments of the Law has a huge impact on what will be the
outcome of the judgment for you.

I have compiled a more detailed
examination of the Greek vocabulary usage and explanation of the meaning
of this saying where I explain the meaning of the Sermon of the Mount,
at this link:
http://bibletruth.cc/SermonOnMount.htm

Since it is clear then that Yahusha
presented the Law as the correct way to display one's faith before
Elohim and men, then it is equally clear that the Sabbath was not
abolished, either. But, did Messiah replace or alter the Sabbath
law? And how then should we understand the Sabbath for today and
how should we apply it to our faith walk?

A true and accurate understanding
of how Messiah Yahusha regarded the Sabbath can be surmised from the
Gospel accounts. In them we find many stories of what Yahusha
said and did on the Sabbath day. Let's take a look at what
Yahusha taught about the Sabbath and what activities he pursued on the
set apart seventh day of the week.

First, since Yahusha expressly
declared that he had not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, we
would expect to see the record of the gospels to indicate that he did,
indeed, keep the Sabbath as his regular habit. And this is
precisely what we find.

Then they went to Capernaum. When the
Sabbath came, Yahusha went into the synagogue and began to teach.
The people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them
like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law (Mark
1:21-22).

Yahusha went to the assembly of Israel on the Sabbath
to teach Torah. In his hometown, he did the same:

Now Yahusha left that place and came to
his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he
began to teach in the synagogue (Mark 6:1-2).

Luke records this same incident of Yahusha going to synagogue while
his his hometown:

Now Yahusha came to Nazareth, where he
had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as
was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Yesha'yahu was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place
where it was written, "The Spirit of Yahuwah is upon me..." (Luke
4:16-18).

The additional piece of information given is that Yahusha
customarily entered the synagogue on the Sabbath to read and teach.
Again this is what we would expect to find if Yahusha were keeping the
Sabbath day. Yet another passage tells us the same:

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the
Sabbath (Luke 13:10).

When taken together, these testimonies indicate that Yahusha was in
the regular habit of keeping Shabbat by attending synagogue and reading,
teaching and explaining Torah on the Sabbath. This is in keeping
with the positive commandment of the Sabbath that we should regard the
day unto Yahuwah and read and proclaim the Scriptures on that day.

Second, if Yahusha were promoting
Sabbath-keeping, we would expect him to teach that the Sabbath is an
institution Yahuwah established for mankind, according to what is
revealed in Genesis chapter 2. And we are not disappointed.
While picking and eating food in the fields on one Sabbath, the
Pharisees challenged him and his Sabbath-keeping. Here, he
explained the scope of the Sabbath:

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was
made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath. For this reason the Son
of Man is lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28).

Note that Yahusha did not say the Sabbath was made for
the Jew or for Israel. He clearly declared that the Sabbath was
given to all of man. This was a reference to creation week where
it is declared that after Elohim created man on the sixth day, he
established the seventh day as a day to be set-apart and for blessing.

By the seventh day Elohim had finished the
work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his
work. And Elohim blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he
rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:2-3).

The Sabbath was given to mankind the day after Elohim
created man. The order of first man and then the Sabbath
indicates purpose for the Sabbath - it was made for man.

Third, if Yahusha were promoting
Sabbath-keeping, we would expect him to teach and preach the paramount
importance of love for and fellowship with Yahuwah on that day.
After all, the seventh day is to be guarded as set apart to Yahuwah.
Yahusha demonstrated this principle of the purpose of the Sabbath by
performing many of his mighty miracles of healing on the Sabbath.

They watched Yahusha closely to see if
he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him. So he
said to the man who had the withered hand, "Stand up among all these
people." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath,
or evil, to save a life or destroy it?" But they were silent (Mark
3:2-4).

Yahusha healed on the Sabbath to re-establish wholeness
to men in order to fellowship with Elohim and enjoy Covenant
relationship of Yahuwah acting as Elohim for the people and taking care
of their every need.

On another Sabbath, Yahusha healed
a woman in the synagogue who was twisted for 18 years. Yahusha
healed her.

But the president of the synagogue,
indignant because Yahusha had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd,
"There are six days on which work should be done! So come and be healed
on those days, and not on the Sabbath day." Then Yahusha answered him,
"You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his
donkey from its stall, and lead it to water? Then shouldn't this woman,
a daughter of Avraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be
released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:14-16).

By this action, Yahusha was confirming the
redemptive\restorative nature of the Sabbath day. The Sabbath day
is the time when Yahuwah meets with his people and meets their needs by
restoring them to wholeness.

Furthermore, Yahusha also
explained that there are even some physically strenuous activities which
are normally thought of as "work" which are nevertheless appropriate for
doing on the Sabbath day. In certain unusual
circumstances, when there is a pressing human need, or the health or
life of an animal is in danger, it is
permissible to "work" to free those people or animals from distress on
the Sabbath (see Mark 2:23-28).

He said to them, "Would not any one of
you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold
of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!
So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:11-12).

The purpose of the Sabbath day is for man to cease from
his labor and meet with Elohim. Yahusha affirms this purpose and
explains it in practical terms by healing people of their afflictions,
and forgiving them of their sins to re-establish relationship between
Elohim and people.

It is
frequently suggested by Bible thumpers that Yahusha intentionally broke the Sabbath
commandment not to do any work, thus signifying that it was to be done away with.
They offer the account in Yochanan's (John's) gospel, chapter 5 of the
man who was told to pick up his mat and carry it on the Sabbath.

A great number of sick, blind, lame, and
paralyzed people were lying in these walkways. Now a man was there who
had been disabled for thirty-eight years. When Yahusha saw him lying
there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time
already, he said to him, "Do you want to become well?" The sick man
answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water
is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else
goes down there before me." Yahusha said to him, "Stand up! Pick up
your mat and walk." Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up
his mat and started walking.

(Now that day was a Sabbath.) So
the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, "It is the
Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat." But he
answered them, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat
and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up
your mat and walk'?" But the man who had been healed did not know who it
was, for Yahusha had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that
place.

After this Yahusha found him at the
temple and said to him, "Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more,
lest anything worse happen to you." The man went away and informed the
Jewish leaders that Yahusha was the one who had made him well.

Now because Yahusha was doing these
things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting him. So he
told them, "My Father is working until now, and I too am working."
For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him,
because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling
Elohim his own Father, thus making himself equal with Elohim (Yochanan
5:3-18).

This account of Yahusha ordering a man to carry his mat
on the Sabbath has been greatly misunderstood and misconstrued.

First, Yahusha healed the man and
then ordered him to pick up and carry his mat. Note that it was
the Jewish leaders who insisted that it was unlawful to carry a mat on
the Sabbath. But you will not find any such commandment in the
Torah of Scripture. The Pharisees had enacted their own laws and
rules for the Sabbath day. Not to carry one's mat on the Sabbath
was one such law. But no man has the authority to create a law to
add to Yahuwah's laws and no man has the authority to subtract a law
that is a part of Yahuwah's Torah.

The Torah explains very explicitly
that no one is to add to or subtract from Yah's own Law:

Do not add a thing to what I command you
nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of Yahuwah
your Elohim that I am delivering to you (Devarim 4:2).

and

You must be careful to do everything I am
commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! (Devarim 12:32).

The commandment that Yahusha was telling the healed man
to break was a commandment of men. Therefore the Pharisees were
upset with him. But he did not, nor has he ever, commanded anyone
to intentionally break one of the commandments of Yahuwah. Thus,
when the record tells us that "the Jewish leaders were trying even
harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath...", it
is talking about a man made Sabbath commandment that Yahusha was
breaking.

Another possible interpretation of
Yochanan 5:18 would render the text, "For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to
kill him; not only was he setting the Sabbath free, but he was even
calling Elohim his own Father...." The Greek word, luo, can
mean either "to loose, set free" or "to break, to
destroy." In the context of this Sabbath day episode,
Yahusha
was not breaking the command of Elohim, but rather, he was freeing the
Sabbath observance from the legalistic interpretations of the Pharisees,
who would not permit a man to carry a pallet under any circumstances on
the Sabbath. Samuele Bacchiocchi concludes from this episode that

Christ's
provocative infringement of rabbinical regulations (such as those
dealing with the carrying of a pallet or mixing of clay on the Sabbath)
were designed therefore not to invalidate the Sabbath commandment but
rather to restore the day to its positive function. (Bacchiocchi,
Samuele, From Sabbathto Sunday, p.47.Bacchiocchi's
discussion of Jesus' attitude toward the Sabbath day and the Sabbath
controversies in the Gospels is very illuminating and is therefore
recommended reading, pp.26-63.)

Yahusha never so much as hinted
that the Sabbath was to be done away with. Instead, he restored
the original meaning of the Sabbath to his disciples because the Sabbath
had been stripped of its original intention and had become distorted.
Yahusha did this by setting his disciples free from the legalistic
regulations by which the Pharisees held the people in bondage.

So the
Sabbath day is a day of freedom, not a day of bondage as many in our own
day think. We noted earlier that Yahusha came to fulfill,
that is, to restore the meaning to the law of Elohim. In the same way,
Messiah was restoring the Sabbath day to its original state by rebuking
the leaders for insisting upon strict obedience to their hundreds of
man-made regulations regarding Sabbath activities, but who had forgotten
what the true intention of the Sabbath was - a day of true freedom to
worship the Creator Elohim and to do good deeds.

What is furthermore interesting
about this occasion of healing on the Sabbath is that Yahusha alludes
to the redemptive work that Elohim is doing on the Sabbath day:

"My Father is working until now, and I
too am working."

This theme of the Father working on the Sabbath day is
obviously a reference to his work of redeeming mankind. It is
certainly clear that Abba is not doing any work of creation on the
seventh day. The father is doing a work of salvation and
redemption on the
Sabbath to restore man to a right relationship with Elohim. In fact, we learned that one of the purposes of the
Sabbath day is to picture the kingdom age when all is restored to
rightness again.

On another occasion, the Pharisees
again made accusation against Yahusha for "breaking the Sabbath":

Now the day on which Yahusha made the
mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath. So the Pharisees asked
him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, "He put mud on my
eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see." Then some of the
Pharisees began to say, "This man is not from Elohim, because he does
not observe the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a
sinner perform such miraculous signs?" Thus there was a division among
them (Yochanan 9:14-16).

Here is another case where Yahusha is misrepresented by
mainstream Christian thinkers. They believe that "Jesus" was
indicating that the Law of Mosheh was in the process of "passing away" -
thus, he "broke" the Sabbath.

But this is not what happened here.
If anyone who thinks that he can produce the commandment of Scripture
that says that its unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, or that its unlawful
to "make mud" on the Sabbath, bring it on. The problem is that
there is no such law in the Torah of Mosheh (as written in the 5 books
attributed to Moses). However, the Pharisees had made another law!
Their law says that its unlawful to spit on dirt to make mud on the
Sabbath. Ha!

So Yahusha was NOT nullifying the
written Law of Elohim by his actions. He was intentionally
confronting the Pharisees by breaking their fake, made-up law. The
message he is sending is that no one needs to be imprisoned by man-made
law or man-made authority anymore. You don't have to obey the
Pharisees. You don't have to obey the Rabbis. You don't have
to obey the Catholic Church. You don't have to submit to the
authority of men when that authority is in conflict with the revealed
will of Elohim as stated in the Instructions of Scripture - the words
which Yahuwah himself spoke to Israel.

Therefore, Yahusha was not
"breaking" the Sabbath or transgressing the Sabbath commandment.
He was doing on the Sabbath what is lawful to do on any day of the week.
He was helping and serving people and meeting their needs.

Since
Yahusha upheld the validity of the Torah and since he guarded the
Shabbat without transgressing the commandment, we should expect
to find biblical and historical confirmation that the first century
followers of Messiah did
indeed keep the Sabbath. And we are not disappointed. First, there is
the conspicuous absence of controversy in the New Testament over the
keeping of the Sabbath. Second, there is biblical testimony regarding
the regular habit of New Testament followers of Messiah of meeting on the Sabbath.
And third, there is extra-biblical testimony confirming the
Sabbath-keeping practice of the 1st century Messianic congregations.

The two major
institutions of the Jewish religion were circumcision and the Sabbath.
If the new sect of followers of Yahusha had tampered with either one of these
cornerstones of their religion, there would have been major disputing
between the Messianic Jewish followers who were zealous of the law and
the Gentile believers. There was a
noteworthy dispute over circumcision which necessitated a major
convening of elders to debate (i.e. the Jerusalem Council which we discussed in
The
Truth About Lawlessness), but there
was no such controversy over the need or importance of obeying the fourth commandment in the law of Moses. The only reasonable
explanation for this glaring absence of contention in the New Testament is that the
disciples did continue to keep the Sabbath day in obedience to the law
of Elohim.

The controversy discussed by Paul
in Colossians was of a different nature. There, the exhortation, "Don't
let anyone judge you with regards to ... the Sabbath" is not talking
about keeping the Sabbath, per se. But Paul was encouraging the
Colossians not to be intimidated by the judgmental attitude the
Pharisees took toward their manner of Sabbath keeping. The
Pharisees would have everyone obey the Sabbath laws as established by
the Pharisees (and later by the Rabbis), but Yahusha had taught quite
clearly that the Sabbath laws of the Pharisees had no authority over his
disciples. Thus, "don't let them judge you" about such
things as healing on the Sabbath, carrying a mat on the Sabbath, etc.

Second, the
book of Acts records over and over again how the believers met on the
Sabbath to worship, pray, preach and teach Messiah Yahusha as Master.
Opponents of the Sabbath contend that the early believers began to meet on
Sunday instead of the Sabbath. But this is contrary to the written
accounts of the apostolic assembly as recorded in the book of Acts. Luke was very
explicit regarding the habit or custom of Paul to meet with the
believers on the Sabbath. In Thessalonica, for example, "as his
custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he
reasoned with them from the Scriptures" (Acts 17:2). And in
Corinth, on "every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying
to persuade Jews and Greeks" (Acts 18:4).

There are, in
fact, eight references to the Sabbath and several to the annual
set-apart feast days
in the book of Acts. Evidently, the followers of Messiah still
continued to observe these feast days and guard them as set-apart times. (Other
references to Sabbath-keeping in Acts include:
13:14,27,42,44;15:21;16:13.)
But there is only one mention of the first day of the week.

The popular Christian tradition of meeting on Sunday to
preach and study the Scriptures is borrowed from the Torah concept of having
miqra (reading, proclamation of Scripture) on the set apart days.
Unfortunately, Christianity has torn this day of proclamation away from its
proper context of occurring at particular set times (i.e. the seventh day of
every week and the annual set-apart days). The Christian
tradition has appointed its own times of observance which is a form of rebellion
and lawlessness.

The only occurrence in the book of
Acts of activity which took place on the first day of the week is
recorded in Acts 20:7

...on the first day of the week, we came together to break
bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the
next day, kept on talking until midnight."

Evidently, the reason Paul met with these believers in
Troas on "Sunday" was because he intended to leave the next day.
Obviously, the departing of Paul the following morning was the
compelling reason to meet with him and listen to his teachings until
midnight.

And the test expressly states that
they reason they came together was to break bread (to eat together), not
to worship on a newly established holy day. In no way can it be
persuasively argued that this single mention of meeting on the first day
of the week constitutes prove that a new convention of "Sunday worship"
was established by Paul. It would be irresponsible Biblical
interpretation to come to such a rash conclusion from one mention,
especially since the reason for getting together is explicitly stated -
they met on Sunday to eat together!

A second "proof text" as used by
Christian theologians to argue that the Sunday became the replacement
day of worship in the first century congregation of Messianics is the
occurrence of the term "Lord's day" in Revelation 1:10:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day when I heard
behind me a loud voice like a trumpet....

Actually, it is circular reasoning on the part of
Christians to suggest that this text proves Sunday was the "Lord's Day."
It is merely assumed by theologians, based upon the prevailing opinion
of the moment, that the "lord's day" means "the first day of the week."
In fact, it does not.

A more cogent interpretation of the
unusual phrase "lord's day" in Revelation 1:10 is that it is a reference
to the "Day of the Lord" or "the day of Yahuwah." In his prophetic
trance, Yochanan was taken in vision to the future time, called by all
the prophets, "the day of Yahuwah" or "Yahuwah's Day." This is by
far the most likely meaning of the phrase because it agrees with all the
rest of Scripture.

The Sabbath day is actually (as
discussed in our article,
http://bibletruth.cc/WhatIsTheSabbath.htm) a shadow picture and
rehearsal for "the day of Yahuwah" - when Yahuwah comes down from heaven
in person to execute judgment and to rule the earth. Thus,
Yochanan probably received this vision on the Sabbath day, which
he called "the lord's day" or the "day of Yahuwah."

If the
statements of Yahusha about the Sabbath and the activities he and all
of his disciples undertook on
that day are not enough to convince the reader regarding the
contemporary validity of the Sabbath, Hebrews 4 provides an irresistibly
explicit apologetic for the believer's continued observance of Elohim's
holy day. The text of Hebrews chapter 4 states very unequivocally that the
Sabbath day rest remains for Elohim's New Testament people. So the writer
to the Hebrews accordingly invites every believer to participate in the
same rest which Elohim experienced on the seventh day of creation week.

Therefore, let us fear, lest, by leaving
behind a promise of entering into His rest, one among you seems to have
come up short. For indeed the proclamation was brought to us as well as
to them, but the message of the report did not profit them, not having
been put together with belief in those who heard it. For we who have
believed enter into that rest, just as He has said, "As I swore in
My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest..." And yet His works took
place with the laying down of the cosmos. For somewhere He has spoken
about the seventh day in this way: "And Elohim rested on the seventh day
from all His works," and in this again, "If they shall enter into
My rest..." Since then it remains for some to enter into it, and
those who formerly received the proclamation did not enter in because of
disobedience (Ivrit [Hebrew] 4:1-6).

The context
of this invitation is set in chapter 3, where the writer describes the
serious consequences of unbelief. This stern warning to the Messianic
community links unbelief and disobedience with apostasy: "see to
it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that
turns away (Greek, aposteenai, "apostatizes") from the
living Elohim." Israel had received instruction from
Yahuwah but
did not trust Elohim enough to obey those divine principles. Because they
did not take Elohim seriously, they disobeyed. So, they were not allowed to
enter Canaan, we are told, because of their unbelief (3:19). And as a
result of their disobedience, Elohim swore to them that they would never
enter his rest (3:18).

The barriers
to entering Elohim's rest are unbelief and disobedience. Thus, Hebrews
exhorts its readers to guard against having a hardened heart against
Elohim
which leads to apostasy. We noted earlier that apostasy is
turning away from Elohim's law. And here again, apostasy is linked with
disobedience to divine instruction. Furthermore, the writer notes in
chapter 4:1, "since the promise of entering his rest still
stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short
of it." The Holy Spirit is here teaching us that the disciple
of Messiah
must be careful not to disobey Elohim's commands as the Israelites did and
thereby forfeit the promise of entering his rest.

Let it be
noticed that the writer is not merely talking about entering the
promised eternal rest of the Messianic kingdom when he speaks of Elohim's rest.
The writer has much more in mind. In chapter 4:3, he begins to define
what he means by the term "rest." Entering into Elohim's eternal
rest is to begin "today" by obeying his command to join him in
his Seventh-day rest which he established at creation:

And yet his work has been finished since
the creation of the world. For somewhere [Gen.2:2] he has spoken about
the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day Elohim rested
from all his work." And again in the passage above he says,
"They shall never enter my rest" (4:3-5).

To those who believe and obey Elohim, the Seventh-day
Sabbath is that rest which Elohim is offering as a precursor to his eternal
rest - or entrance into the kingdom. This is the command of Elohim which the believer is encouraged not to
disobey.

The Sabbath,
to be sure, is a picture and type of the Messianic kingdom rest which all
believers in Yahusha will enjoy. But the way to enter the future bliss of
the eternal rest of Elohim's kingdom is to trust Messiah "today"
and enter now into Elohim's Seventh-day Sabbath rest. The two rests go hand
in hand. Those who are entering into the promised eternal rest will also
obediently enter into Elohim's Sabbath rest on the seventh day of every
week as an act of showing faith in that promised Messianic rest.

This is
stated even more emphatically when the Holy Spirit says,

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for
the people of Elohim; for anyone who enters Elohim's rest also rests from his
own work, just as Elohim did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort
to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example
of disobedience (4:9-11).

This is the most explicit statement made in the New
Testament regarding Sabbath-keeping for the New Testament believer. The Greek word sabbatismos
, which is translated, "a Sabbath-rest" in verse 9, means
"a Sabbath-keeping." This Sabbath-keeping, the inspired writer
explains, remains for Elohim's people. The Greek word used here, apoleipetai,
also appeared in verse 6, where the author writes, "it still
remains that some will enter that rest."

This Sabbath rest which remains (or "is left behind") is the
Sabbath-keeping which had its beginning at creation. (Samuele
Bacchiocchi discusses the Sabbath as being "left behind" in The
Sabbath in the New Testament, p.41) Elohim has been
offering and still is offering ("remains") participation in
his own rest. The Sabbath was not a temporary gimmick or test for Israel
only. It is a permanent fixture for any and all who wish to enter Elohim's
kingdom rest.

The
explanatory clause which follows ("for anyone who enters Elohim's
rest also rests from his own work" 4:10) lucidly communicates
the author's message that the Seventh-day Sabbath is for Messiah's
followers.
The writer to the Hebrews is inviting every believer, without apology, to rest from all
his work on the Sabbath day. The meaning of the text hinges on our
understanding of the rest which Elohim has entered. When the Holy Spirit
says, "rests from his own work, just as Elohim did from his" (4:10)
he can not be speaking of an alleged rest Elohim is taking from his work of
redemption. The Scriptures speak of only one work from which Elohim rested,
and that is his work of creation. Elohim is still performing his work of
redemption. (This is what Yahusha meant when he told the Jews, "my
Father is always at his work to this very day" --John 5:17.)

The writer of
Hebrews states explicitly that Elohim's seventh-day rest he commenced at
creation is that rest which believers should engage in: "somewhere
he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'And on the seventh
day Elohim rested from all his work'" (Hebrews 4:4). Thus, the
rest to which the believer in the New Testament age is invited is the
Sabbath day cessation from work which Elohim himself enjoyed after he
created the universe.

With this in
mind, the writer to the Hebrews invites all who are attached to Messiah
to rest on the Sabbath day: "for anyone who enters Elohim's rest also rests from
his own work, just as Elohim did from his." The Holy Spirit is saying that "anyone
who enters Elohim's rest," that is, places his faith in Messiah as
his Savior, "also rests from his own work," by ceasing
to work on the Sabbath day, "just as Elohim did from his"
when He rested on the seventh day of creation week from all the work of
creating that He had done. So when the Word exhorts us "to make
every effort to enter that rest," the "that rest" is
the Seventh-day rest which Elohim enjoyed at the end of creation week and
now enjoins us to participate in.

For the
talmid (disciple), keeping the Sabbath is not an effort to earn salvation. On
the contrary, it is an act of faith! "Entering Elohim's rest"
is followed by "resting from his own work"; that is,
after receiving Messiah as Savior, the believer will by faith begin to
obey his command to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it
holy." To put it another way, whoever loves Yahusha will keep the
Sabbath. When we keep in mind the purpose of the Sabbath day, it all
begins to become clear. The Sabbath is that time Elohim has set aside to
worship the Creator ("and Elohim blessed the seventh day and set
it apart" Gen.2:2). So, whoever loves Yahusha will worship
Elohim on
his set apart day.

The weekly
assembly of Israel for worship on the Sabbath is a picture of the
future gathering of believers at Messiah's posttribulational parousia in the
clouds when they ultimately will enter into Elohim's eternal rest. When he
keeps the Sabbath by faith, the believer is testifying to all who will
listen that he belongs to Yahusha. For this reason, the believer is
exhorted to "not give up meeting together (Gr. episunagogee,
see a discussion of this gathering
here), as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as
you see the Day (of the gathering at Messiah's posttrib parousia)
approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).

The
evangelical Bible-believing community would do well to heed the advice
of the Scripture writer and participate in Elohim's Seventh-day Sabbath
rest. By doing so, the believer has the testimony that by faith, he will
one day enter with Yahusha into the heavenly kingdom of which the seventh
day Sabbath-rest is a foretaste. But whoever follows the example of
disobedience of the unbelieving Israelites and refuses to keep holy the
Sabbath day, even though he knows Elohim's Sabbath is for the Christian
today, to them Elohim has sworn, "They shall never enter my
rest" (4:3).

This language
is strong and may even appear to be harsh. The inspired writers did not
beat around the bush. They often got right to the point. It all boils
down to the issue of loyalty. If, through faith in Yahusha, one chooses
to willingly obey the heavenly Father and enter into his Seventh-day
Sabbath-keeping, then Elohim will keep his promise and give him his part in
the inheritance of the promised kingdom of heaven. But if one chooses to disobey
and go his own way, then that person will forfeit the promise through
unbelief as those Israelites did long ago. So, we should not harden our
hearts against obedient submission to Elohim's right way (see 3:12,13;
4:7).

In addition, there are other historical sources which testify that the Christians who
were dispersed from Jerusalem before her destruction continued to keep
the Sabbaths of the Lord. Those who argue that the apostolic church
changed the day of worship to Sunday readily agree that this change must
have taken place in the mother church at Jerusalem. Samuele Bacchiocchi
debates along these lines because

Christians
at large would hardly have accepted the injunction to change the day of
their weekly worship or the date of their annual Passover celebration
from any one church, except from the one that enjoyed universal and
undisputed position of leadership. (From
Sabbath, p.134)

So if the apostles made the change of the worship day of
the church from Sabbath to Sunday, it would have been reflected in the
practice of the descendants of the Christian community at Jerusalem.

But
Bacchiocchi has unearthed some spectacular historical evidence which
indicates that the Jerusalem church was a Sabbath-keeping, not a
Sunday-keeping, church. One such discovery is that made of the
Nazarenes, a Christian sect who "appear to be the direct
descendants of the Christian community of Jerusalem which migrated to
Pella."

Bacchiocchi surmises that

if the
Nazarenes, as most scholars maintain, are indeed the "direct
descendants of the primitive community of Jerusalem," we would
expect these...to have retained the original practice of Jewish
Christianity. (From
Sabbath, pp.156,157)

He then goes on to quote Epiphanius, a church historian
(ca. A.D. 315-403), who reports that

The
Nazarenes do not differ in any essential thing from them [i.e. Jews],
since they practice the custom and doctrines prescribed by the Jewish
law, except that they believe in Christ. They believe in the
resurrection of the dead and that the universe was created by God. They
preach that God is one and that Jesus Christ is his Son. They are very
learned in the Hebrew language. They read the law... Therefore they
differ both from the Jews and from the Christians; from the former,
because they believe in Christ; from the true Christians because they
fulfill till now Jewish rites as the circumcision, the Sabbath and
others. (Epiphanius,
Adversus Haereses 29,7, PG 41,402, quoted in From
Sabbath, p.157.)

The
credibility of this historical record is enhanced by the fact that
Epiphanius was attempting to degrade this Christian group on account of
their "unorthodox" practices such as Sabbath-keeping.
Ironically, Epiphanius' attempt to "denigrate" those
"heretic" Nazarenes turns out to actually confirm that the
Jerusalem church and their descendants were faithful to the laws and
traditions of the Bible. Their adherence to the "doctrines
prescribed by the Jewish law" including the "Sabbath and
others" goes a long way in proving that the Jerusalem church did
not worship on Sunday, but on the Sabbath of the Bible.

The biblical
and non-biblical historical accounts of the early church show that the
New Testament believers did indeed keep the weekly Sabbath, the annual
holy days and the rest of the commandments of Elohim in accordance with the
teaching of the apostles. (Bacchiocchi
also discusses the testimonies of several church fathers and historians
who indicate that the apostles and their disciples kept and celebrated
the Passover on the 14th Nissan rather than Easter Sunday, which was a
later development, in From
Sabbath,
pp.198-204) So, since it has been confirmed that the
believers at Jerusalem kept the Sabbath, and since they alone held the
authority of leadership in the early Christian community, we conclude
that Sabbath-keeping was the norm, not the exception, in the apostolic
church.

The Sabbath is Elohim's sign, the seal of his authority and his
mark of ownership on the believer. It was given by Elohim at creation
to benefit mankind whom he had created in His image. Elohim wants all
men to benefit from his plan to give them rest and fellowship every
seventh day.

The Sabbath was properly observed by
Messiah and his disciples. The book of Hebrews strongly exhorts all
believers to join Elohim in his seventh day rest as a precursor to joining
Elohim in
His kingdom rest. Those who refuse to rest on the seventh day are like
the Israelites of old who hardened their hearts against Elohim's way.
Ultimately, refusal to obey Elohim will result in Elohim rejecting the stubborn ones
from entrance to his eternal kingdom.

Let it be so that all who love Messiah and
are covered by his atoning blood will join the Master and Savior in resting on the
seventh day of the week in humble obedience to Elohim's loving plan for each one
of us.